Smooth muscle cell proliferation plays an important role in diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Vascular restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has been shown to be a tissue response characterized by an early and late phase. The early phase occuring hours to days after PTCA is due to thrombosis with some vasospasms while the late phase appears to be dominated by excessive proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells. In this disease, the increased cell motility and colonization by smooth muscle cells and macrophages contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. The excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells may be the primary mechanism to the reocclusion of coronary arteries following PTCA, atherectomy, laser angioplasty and arterial bypass graft surgery. See "Intimal Proliferation of Smooth Muscle Cells as an Explanation for Recurrent Coronary Artery Stenosis after Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty," Austin et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology 8:369-375 (Aug. 1985).
Vascular restenosis remains a major long term complication following surgical intervention of blocked arteries by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), atherectomy, laser angioplasty and arterial bypass graft surgery. In about 35% of the patients who undergo PTCA, reocclusion occurs within three to six months after the procedure. The current strategies for treating vascular restenosis include mechanical intervention by devices such as stents or pharmacologic therapies including heparin, low molecular weight heparin, coumarin, aspirin, fish oils calcium antagonists steroids, and prostacyclin. These strategies have failed to curb the reocclusion rate and have been ineffective for the treatment and prevention of vascular restenosis. See "Prevention of Restenosis after Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty: The Search for a `Magic Bullet`," Hermans et al., American Heart Journal 122:171-187 (July 1991).
In the pathogenesis of restinosis excessive cell proliferation and migration occurs as a result of growth factors produced by cellular constituents in the blood and the damaged arterial vessel wall which mediate the proliferation of smooth muscle cells in vascular restenosis.
Agents that inhibit the proliferation and/or migration of smooth muscle cells are useful in the treatment and prevention of restenosis. The present invention provides for the use of compounds as smooth muscle cell proliferation inhibitors.